For Honest Men and Bonnie Lasses

Shiloh by Phil Burns

In his sleep he takes a bus trip
To a town on the Ayrshire coast
He remembers going to school there
He is still haunted by those ghosts

It no longer looks the same of course
In a dream things rarely do
The things he recalls are subtly changed
And replaced with nightmares new

He wanders down Ayr Sandgate
To the mouth of Limond’s Wynd
He pauses before he enters
He is afraid of what he might find

The locale is changed abruptly
No time for a second glance
This park in Glasgow’s South Side
This view a beach in France

Now he is in confusion
There is someone he must meet
But how can that be possible
When he cannot find the street

Once again he sees his old friend
Who laughs and flaunts his wealth
He thinks it is the whole world’s fault
But he only blames himself

He says go have some breakfast
I already dined in style
He shakes his head and walks away
Behind his usual supercilious smile